毒のリンゴ poison apples
by dimpleees
Summary: SasuSaku. Two-shot. / He never did like other guys around Sakura. Especially when they were dressed in paramedic uniforms.
1. in which he despairs

_A mild-ish SasuSaku one._

_I have to warn you that there is a significant plotline in here which will never come true. But, then again, this is just a story so yeah.  
In this story, I'm trying to make use of staccato sentences, and frequent breaks. Has it worked? Maybe._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Title is inspired by Snow White.  
Word Count: 2,245. I think._

_..._

**_  
POISON APPLES_**

**(i)**

**_---  
_**

_He never did like other guys around Sakura. Especially when they were dressed in paramedic uniforms._

_---  
_

He watched the doors of the operating theatre as they tried to save her.

As they tried to keep her from reaching the light.

Even though she was the one of the best medics in Konoha, she couldn't even save herself. Sasuke hated irony. And he hated her.  
He hated her even more now he realized that she was on the verge of potentially leaving him forever.

Sasuke didn't exactly know how it all happened. It just happened so fast. Too fast.  
And there was nothing he could do nothing about it.

He remembered that day when he was leaving Konoha, and how she had confessed her love for him. In a strange way, it kept his hopes up.

But, she had broken her promise. The promise that she would be with him always.

"Where's that promise now, Sakura?" he asked to no-one in particular, clenching his fists.  
He felt as though the air was suffocating him. He didn't mind though; but, he didn't know why.

Shadow fell across him and he looked up. Naruto and Kakashi stood there, their eyes bloodshot and their bodies fatigued. It was obvious neither of them had gotten any sleep.

"How is she? Is there any news?" Kakashi asked Sasuke, rubbing his eye and adjusting his mask, whilst settling down in the chair next to him.

Sasuke shook his head. "She's still in surgery. No-one's come out yet."

As if on cue, a surgeon dressed in green scrubs and a face mask walked out of the swing doors leading to the operating theatre.  
He approached the two of them and inquired, "Haruno-san's family?"

All of them nodded. There was no point in telling the doctor that Sakura's real family was long gone.

The medic introduced himself. "I'm Hanazawa Satoshi, the head medic in charge of Haruno-san, along with Shizune-san and Tsunade-sama."

"What's the situation with Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, unnaturally calm, only his fingernails digging into his palms giving away his anxiety.

The surgeon sighed, his thick glasses reflecting the bright lights and obscuring his eyes. "Well, she survived the surgery. Barely. It was touch and go."  
Sasuke sifted through his words and latched onto those he wanted to hear.  
"She survived? She's going to be alright?"

The surgeon shifted uncomfortably. He had been standing for a long time, bending over the almost-broken body of a young woman, trying to fix and rearrange, stitch and join.  
It was exhausting, but he would've rather gone through the whole thing again than discuss a critical case with relatives.

Sasuke found himself staring into the somber eyes of the surgeon.

"I'm afraid there isn't good news." Sasuke didn't react. His mind was still expecting the person before him to elaborate. The surgeon continued.

"It's too early to tell but-"

"What?! Are you kidding me?! It's been almost 3 and a half weeks! How could you not know?!" Naruto demanded, disbelief evident through his words.  
Sasuke and Kakashi's thoughts mirrored his outward questions.

"She sustained a lot of injuries; including a ruptured spleen, collapsed lung, dislocated shoulder, a few broken bones, including all the fingers in her right hand.  
And that's not the worst of it."

Naruto closed his eyes and tried to imagine the pain Sakura was going through. How could so much damage be done to such a petite woman?  
Even though he knew only too well about her remarkable strength, he still couldn't understand it.

Sasuke and Kakashi, on the other hand, knew exactly how she had received each of the injuries mentioned. It was blatantly obvious why she had broken her fingers; who wouldn't have when punching through boulders, rocks, the ground and most of all, faces. Or more specifically, Madara's face.

Both men could remember the fight only too well.  
It had almost been too surreal, and Sasuke could barely believe what he was seeing. A small-made, pink-haired girl fighting a tall, brute of a man was certainly not something you'd see every day. But it had happened. And it was the reason why she was in hospital.

They all looked at the crimson blood clashing with the green overalls of the surgeon and both felt physically sick. That was their beloved Sakura's blood, all over this man.  
Sasuke could taste the bile at the back of his throat and he felt choked.  
Both Naruto and Kakashi were in obviously the same type of predicament.

The medic could not meet their eyes, and he found himself looking down at his blood-spattered footwear.  
"It's a bit of a Catch-22 situation. We need to keep her heavily sedated or the shock may overcome her body."

In other words, Sakura cannot wake up or she will die. Again, irony.

"Where and when can we see her?" Kakashi asked.

"She's still in there." The medic jerked his head backwards towards the operating theatre doors. "However she'll be back in the ICU in a couple of hours. So, if you want to come back later-"

"We'll wait." Sasuke interrupted. Kakashi and Naruto looked over at him, slightly surprised.  
"For however long it takes, we'll wait until we see her."

Kakashi couldn't help but feel a flicker of understanding for Sasuke, and he smiled through his mask slightly.  
"Yeah, we will. So whenever she's ready, we'll be here." Naruto agreed, his cerulean eyes softening. However, he still had to bite his bottom lip to keep from screaming with the black, spinning horror of it all.

The medic pursed his lips at their hint of optimism. Then, he said warningly, "She'll be unconscious and won't look good. Don't be too surprised or upset by that."

"We've seen worse." Sasuke said pointingly. Then he looked into the medic's eyes.  
"You know that too, don't you, Hanazawa?"  
The medic said nothing. But it was obvious that he knew exactly what Sasuke meant. It was true after all.  
All three of the people before him have seen much, much worse horrors; more so than he has or ever will. Still, in Sasuke's mind, this was one of the worst.

So, unable to say anymore, the medic raised his hand in a gesture of nervous leave and disappeared into the inner recesses of the hospital.

* * *

...

"Sasuke."

Said person didn't turn his head towards Naruto's call.

"…How are you doing?" Naruto asked, then realizing the stupidity of his question.

"How the hell do you think I'm doing, dobe?" Sasuke replied, his eyes narrowing.  
They were all still outside the ICU and had beem for nearly 4 and a half hours, waiting for the call and the moment when they could finally see Sakura. A battered, fragile shell of a Sakura, but Sakura nonetheless.

"He's only trying to help, Sasuke." Kakashi interjected, opening the one eye not covered.

"…Aa."

Naruto rolled his eyes. Even when Sasuke was gripped with anxiety, he still had a pole stuck up somewhere unpleasant and the same vocabulary of an anti-social ice cube.

But, Naruto certainly understood that Sasuke was hurting; perhaps even more than both himself and Kakashi. Sakura's… situation affected him. Badly.  
He and Kakashi understood his reaction, fluctuating between hidden anger and despair.  
Naruto doubted his best friend could look more deathly pale if he was swinging at the end of a rope.

The silence of the room slowly grew until it became bigger than all of them, leaving a thick fog of unuttered words. Finally, unable to take this steely silence, Naruto banged his fist in frustration against the wall he was leaning against. A visible hole was there, with pieces of white plaster falling off the jagged mini-crater left from the force of the punch. Sasuke and Kakashi didn't even flinch. They already knew this was his way of dealing with impatience.

Kakashi dealt with his misery quietly. It had also been a blow to his heart that his former student was on the verge of…. He couldn't even finish the thought.  
He looked down at his hands, and he noticed they were trembling. Even without outward expressions, his body language showed it all, and he couldn't control it.

Finally, more than after 15 agonising minutes, nurses came into the room and announced that they were now able to see Sakura Haruno.

All three men stiffened visibly, composed themselves, and entered the ICU.

* * *

What they found was Sakura. Their Sakura. Or at least, what was left of her.

The sight of her frail body, lying on the deathly white covers of the bed, was almost too shocking for Sasuke to bear.

It was as if he could barely breathe. He stood by the side of the bed, looking down at her face, barely recognizing her. Naruto collapsed onto his knees by the other side of her bed, whilst Kakashi just stood at the end of the bed, looking out the window, eyes closed.  
His lower lip was trembling.

Sakura's condition was indescribable, and all of them, especially Sasuke, was terrified, though he hid it.  
Her chest was constricted, her movements slow and uncoordinated. Almost her whole body had been wrapped in bandages.  
The skin on her face was stretched taut over the bones, and one of her eyes was also covered with dressings; but remarkably, the rest was relatively untouched, only with a few scratches and bruises, but mouth still covered with an oxygen mask.

The sight of her made Sasuke realise just how much she meant to him and how much he needed her. When he returned, after killing his brother, she became his 'rock' almost.  
He realized that everything he needed and wanted was right there in front of his eyes.

And he was happy, for a while. That is, until, Madara came.  
Everything went downhill from there.

* * *

Sasuke almost smirked when he remembered times when other guys would try and ask Sakura out on a date. She would politely decline but if any one of them persisted too much,  
she would show them a piece of her mind. And her fist, if necessary. And of course, there was Sasuke; who was always silently watching her.  
Of course he would never outwardly admit his feelings, but he did little things.  
Like perhaps hwalking her home or eating ramen with her (and Naruto, of course.)

Soon, it became apparent that both had mutual feelings for each other. But, it had got to a stage where neither needed to fully admit their feelings for each other, and Sasuke appreciated this. There were times when Sakura would smile and almost-sort-of confirm their now-more-than-friends relationship; a kiss on the cheek or a simple gesture of holding hands. Sasuke rarely did any of this, but when he did, he meant it and he knew Sakura knew this too. It was almost reassuring for Sasuke once he knew that she hadn't stopped loving him.

They accepted their bond and moved on. Naruto did too.  
After Hinata openly showed her feelings for Naruto, he smiled and accepted them. He had long gotten over his crush and first love; now only thinking of her as someone very special and more of a sister.  
He stopped his flirtatious acts as soon as he realized this. He also began to understand Sakura's bond with Sasuke, and he became content with the fact that he wasn't the one for her.

Hinata will never be like Sakura, and he liked this fact. He now had her; and she was all he needed.

As for Kakashi, he long knew what would happen between Sakura and Sasuke; but only after he found out that she tried to stop him leaving. He watched her grow; out of the young, naive and immature nature into a strong, independent woman. A freakishly strong one at that, and with medical skills to boot.  
He couldn't help but chuckle once he realised that they had become a couple.  
They were as different as earth and fire; but maybe that's why they were made for each other. One needed the other; balance and Yin and Yang and all that.

* * *

Whilst witnessing Sakura fight Madara, it dawned upon Sasuke just how strong she had become. No doubt that everyone was shocked at how much she was able to give as well as take. She fought until it was apparent that her body could no longer keep up and she collapsed. After all, Sakura was still weaker than him.

However, by then, the damage had been done to Madara. It took just a few more blows from Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi and whoever else was there to knock Madara dead. Literally.

Sakura and the rest of the wounded had been immediately taken to medical care.  
Since Sakura was also one of the best medics there, it was harder than usual to treat the injured.

It had been weeks since that fateful confrontation and whilst Sasuke and the rest were slowly but surely getting better, there was no word on Sakura, and it had taken countless operations to try and get her to the condition she is in today.  
Other friends including Sai, Yamato, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Neji, Tenten, Lee and many others came to visit, but none could stay. How could they, anyway?  
Post-war, Konoha had to be rebuilt from destruction, and they had to do all they can.  
But leverage had been given to those closest to Sakura.

And as Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi observe Sakura's state of body and mind, a bitter taste is left in their mouths, as they realise Sakura may never fully recover.

---

-

-

_TBC._

_Um, yes. Hi. This is my first SasuSaku; I had fun writing it whilst procrastinating :D  
I know the whole thing about Sakura fighting Madara will probably NEVER become real, but yeah, I just wanted to show how much Sakura has grown up and the fact that Sasuke (and the rest) have realised this. And let me tell you: keeping Sasuke in character was damn hard.  
This is a two-shot, so the next chapter (and last one) will be written soon so that this story will be completely finished. Please disregard all spelling/grammar mistakes, I've tried my best!  
Um, anything else that I could improve on, please tell me! _

_I know I really should be finishing AHBL before this, but I'm thinking of editing that fanfic (so, not rewriting the plot AT ALL, but just tidying it up and changing a few situations and mini-plots.)  
DSIFL is going to be rewritten completely. I wrote it around 3 years ago and I gag when I read it now. I've developed a new style of writing and organisation/layout which I want to incorporate in all my fics-stories. So, yeah. What do you think?_


	2. but she will not

'_Tis continued._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Title is inspired by Snow White.  
Word Count: 2,723. I think._

_..._

_**  
POISON APPLES**_

**(ii)**

_**---**_

_He never did like other guys around Sakura. Especially when they were dressed in paramedic uniforms._

_---  
_  
"Yo."

"Ah, Kaka'-sensei! You goin' to see Sakura?"

"Yes. You coming too, Sasuke?"  
Sasuke just looked at him as if to say 'what do _you _think?'

As they made their way back to the hospital, they couldn't help but notice the scale of devastation that was made thoroughly evident throughout the streets of Konoha.  
Even though the village was being rebuilt, it was obvious that nearly everything standing had either been damaged significantly or had been completely wiped out. Only a few derelict buildings had been saved.

Thankfully, the hospital was only damaged to a certain extent; it had been completely rebuilt in just a matter of days. Medical care was essential post-war after all.

Unfortunately, Konohagakure was missing one of its key medical experts: Haruno Sakura.

Kakashi couldn't help but wonder why he didn't predict the fact that she would eventually become a medic-nin, during the time when he was her master.

It became evident to him soon enough that Sakura possessed a high intelligence level, excellent chakra control and a keen talent for observation and analyzing her opponent's movements when she was only 14; so it was only fitting that she became a valuable asset who raises the survival chance in any team.

He smiled, nostalgic, as he remembered the days when he would be watching her silently, during the two years that Naruto and Sasuke were away. In the beginning, she had a lot to learn.  
She was deemed below average in stamina and her close combat skills were inefficient.

However, through odds, she learned to utilize her ability of chakra control and her taijutsu skills saw tremendous growth thanks to Tsunade's constant battle drills to better protect herself should she find it impossible to avoid battle.

Her strength, coupled with her medical expertise and the beauty she gained over the two years caused many to see her as the next Tsunade. But, in Kakashi's mind, Sakura is only Sakura.

There will not be another Tsunade.

Kakashi was sure that eventually, Sakura would surpass her master.

And when that time comes, one finger is all she will need.

* * *

In the ICU, Naruto awoke slowly from his slumber and stretched his arms, yawning loudly.  
Opening his eyes, he found himself surrounded by some kind of fuzziness. He shook his head quickly to get rid of it and looked at the clock on the wall. It was 8:14 PM.

Which meant he and Sasuke had spent nearly 6 hours in the ICU; longer than they had ever done.  
And the blond was hungry. _Very _hungry. Clearly, the lunch had not been enough to sustain him.

He looked over at Sasuke, who was in a chair opposite Sakura and still in his trademark position as he had been since he had arrived, his eyes closed, his hands clasped together covering part of his face and his elbows perched over the chair's arm rests.

Naruto wondered how the Uchiha managed to stay like that for so long without getting numb.

Kakashi, on the other hand, had to leave around 2 hours ago. After all, he also still had certain duties to perform.

He rubbed his eyes, re-positioned himself on the very uncomfortable chair he had been sitting in, and let out a sigh.  
He suddenly felt a pang of guilt as he realized that his Sakura-chan was actually in a far more uncomfortable position than he was and bit his lip.

His thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice.

"You awake, Naruto?" came Sasuke's question.

"Yeah. Are you?"

No reply.

"… Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked up and narrowed his eyes at the blond.

"…What?" Naruto asked, confused. Ah, our poor Naruto.

"…You do realize it was me who just asked whether you were awake or not, dobe."

Sasuke sighed lightly as he saw Naruto's facial expression change when he realized his… lack of awareness.

"…Oh, yeah. Right. Eh-he-heh. " Naruto said, grinning.

...

"Yeah, so, anyway." Naruto said, coughing. "About Sakura-chan."

They both, for the umpteenth time, looked over at the sleeping (_coma-induced_) Sakura.

Even though both of them had been here countless times, the very fact of her helplessly lying there and the agony of waiting for her to wake up (_if_ she wakes up) was all the more painful for her former teammates.

She looked still; very still. And alarmingly lifeless.

If it was it wasn't for the steady beep of the heart monitor, Sasuke doubted whether he'd be able to tell whether she was alive or not.

"You know, she's recovering far more quickly than we thought she would," a voice said.

Naruto and Sasuke turned their heads towards the door.

The announcement came from none other than Sakura's 'shishou'.  
At the door, stood Tsunade; her eyes tired and her hair disheveled.  
By her side was Shizune with her hands in her overalls' pockets and a solemn look on her face.

"She's a trooper, alright," Shizune agreed. "And although it doesn't look it, her body is fighting for its life."

"You think we don't know that already?" Sasuke asked, as though Shizune was pointing out the all-too-obvious.

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey, lay off, Sasuke. Shizune just trying to help."

"So? You really think optimism is going to help? Sakura can't heal with just that." Sasuke stated, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

Just as Naruto was about to retort at Sasuke's negativity, Tsunade stepped in.

"You don't think we're doing the best we can, Uchiha? We're pouring our souls into saving her life. Anyone of us would gladly take her place, and you know this. So either shut it or pray."

A tense silence passed as neither Naruto nor Shizune dare spoke.  
Sasuke averted his eyes and breathed in deeply. "…Hn. Sorry, Shizune."

A flicker of apprehension went through Shizune's mind. She understood fully what Sasuke was going through. It was only natural that he would feel agitated.

"Ah, it's okay, Sasuke-san." She replied.

"Anyway. We've got countless more patients so we'll come back later. Take care, Naruto. Sasuke."

With those final parting words, Tsunade left with Shizune hurrying along at her wake.

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke."

No response

"…Sasuke."

Still none. Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Teme. Icecube. Socially retarded-"

"…What?" Sasuke finally replied, annoyed.

"Oh, so you'll answer to those but not your own name?" Naruto asked, sitting down on the stool next to him.

Naruto sighed and rubbed his eyes. Sasuke was always in a bad mood no doubt, but today was even worse.  
Both were at Ichiraku, getting some late dinner before, once again, leaving to return to the hospital.  
No doubt, they would spend the night there in the hope that there would be some progress with Sakura's condition.

And in Naruto's mind, he was relieved that Ichiraku was still standing, albeit barely, after the war.

Where else was he supposed to get his daily (_hourly)_ dose of miso ramen?

After both had ordered their meals, a few minutes of silence passed.

Finally, to the surprise of Naruto, his friend broke the silence.

"Do you think…?" Sasuke abruptly started.  
Naruto raised one eyebrow and turned his head towards the Uchiha.

Sasuke continued. "Do you think Sakura will…?"

He couldn't finish the question and his bangs covered his eyes.

This unfinished question made Naruto almost sick to the stomach and he looked down at his trembling hands.

_Dammit. If Sasuke was already losing faith, then_…. Naruto shook his head.  
_That worried idiot_, he thought.

But he hid these thoughts. Instead, he knew had to somehow comfort Sasuke; no matter how awkward that would be.

In response to Sasuke's doubt, Naruto smiled and stretched his arms up.  
Then, unexpectedly and in a rather comical fashion, he proceeded to 'pat' Sasuke on the back.  
And by 'pat', he actually hit Sasuke; so hard, that he nearly fell of the chair.

Sasuke, in response, looked at Naruto as if to say '_what the hell did you do that for, you idiot?_'  
However, he stopped as he was met by Naruto's shining smile.

"Ahaha, Sasuke, don't worry. Sakura-chan will be alright. I know it for sure!" he claimed.

Sasuke said nothing and turned away. His gaze became locked on the ramen bowl that had been set before him.

"…So, don't ask such weird questions, teme. You're freaking me out."

An awkward moment passed.

Then, "How do you know?"

Naruto snapped apart his chopsticks and turned to look at Sasuke.

"Look, Sasuke."

Slowly, Sasuke turned back to Naruto's face. Black eyes met blue ones.

"You weren't here during the time Sakura became stronger. And neither was I. But I _was _here for a short time when we fought against Akatsuki and various other enemies. What I saw was a new Sakura. And I know that when you returned, you also saw a different Sakura."

Naruto broke into another smile. "She's not thirteen anymore, Sasuke. She's all grown up. She fought against Madara for Pete's sake. There aren't many women like her, and you know this too, right?"

Sakura pondered for a moment and thought back. He couldn't deny that Sakura had certainly changed.  
Sasuke nodded lightly to Naruto's question.

"Then, what are you worried about? She'll be fine. I know it."

Sasuke breathed in deeply. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped.  
Naruto paused. It seemed as though Sasuke was even more depressed than usual and Naruto didn't know what to say.

Then, after some thought, he explained: "Before you had returned, Sakura fought against Sasori from Akatsuki."

No reply. Naruto continued. "Well, there was an old lady who was also there who witnessed this fight called Chiyo-baa-sama; the one who was hailed by the Sunagakure villagers as the village's poison and puppet expert. And d'you know what she said?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"She said this to Sakura: 'There are not many women with chivalrous spirits matching those of men.'"  
In response, Sasuke's eyebrows raised slightly.

"Baa-sama knew that Sakura-chan was more than just a kunoichi. And she is. Sakura-chan will survive against all odds. I'm sure of it."

"And you have to be sure too, teme, or else I won't forgive you and…-"

He stopped. "And, I'll eat your beloved ramen!" he declared.

Sasuke cracked a small smile; but even one so small, Naruto still saw it.  
And Naruto mock-gasped. "Did the Great Uchiha just…smile?" he asked, putting his hands on his face in fake-shock.

Sasuke quickly returned to his monotonous look and scowled at Naruto.  
"Shut up, dead-last."

Naruto gave a toothy grin at the return of his friend's composure.

"…Thanks."

Naruto's eyebrows shot up. "I-I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "…I said, thanks."

But Naruto was still in disbelief. "I really didn't catch you. Say it again, please?"

"Don't push it, dobe, or I'll eat _your _ramen."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare, teme." Sasuke smirked.  
Naruto immediately tucked in heartily in order to protect his ramen from the seemingly sinister Sasuke.

"So, how's Hinata?" Sasuke asked, unexpectedly.

Naruto grinned in reply. "Hinata-chan's good. She went to see Sakura-chan this morning in fact. She's so sweet, ne, Sasuke?"

"Aa."

You'd think both wouldn't be able to eat under pressure as great as they were suffering now but both sought comfort from each other's silent company; with both occupied by their own thoughts.

It was times like these which reminded Sasuke how much he treasured his friendship with Naruto.

Sasuke's hopes had indeed been raised by Naruto's optimism.  
He began to erase his doubts and started to look at the grave situation in a new light.  
He promised to himself that Sakura would be alright, and admitted (in his mind) that his friend was helpful in believing in this.

But what Sasuke didn't know was that in reality, Naruto's optimism was just a façade, and one that may not last very much longer.

Because the truth was that Naruto was just as scared.

…And he was scared shitless.

* * *

The sight of her no longer upset Sasuke as much as it had before.  
He was accustomed to the bandages and the tubes to help her breathe, to intravenously feed her drugs and food and whatever else the nurses in their starched white uniforms took into their heads to add to those soft, clear plastic bags of liquid hanging from metal poles.

The bruises peeking out from behind bandages, like canvases of modern art, were slowly moving through the colour charts until they became orange like the sun.  
The stitches across her body were no longer traversing their individual fleshy hills of swollen tissue.

She was getting better, surely.**  
**  
However, in spite of this, as the week progressed, Sasuke found himself losing this faith more and more. It was like a continuous cycle for him, and it drained his strength.  
Naruto, Kakashi and himself spent nearly all their time with Sakura. During the day, they would patiently wait, sometimes talking and reminiscing about the past and Team 7, and what could've (_should've_) been.

It was hard, very hard; sometimes, too hard for Sasuke in particular.  
Broken nights of sleep in the ICU would lead to nightmares for him and he was constantly reminded of how he was slowly losing everything. He had lost his family, his friends when he left, and now he was losing Sakura.

He couldn't afford it. He was relieved and almost touched beyond words when he finally realized how much his friends, his team, his_ Konoha _had cared about him; even when he had so heartlessly betrayed them.

As Naruto said so himself: 'You could take the boy outta Konoha, but you can't take the Konoha out of the boy."  
And Sasuke could only smile at this.

Naruto and Kakashi, as well as others, comforted him, and he was thankful. He knew they were going through exactly the same thing as he was, so he couldn't be selfish. Although, it was hard not to sometimes.

And so here he was, in the ICU at approximately 7:42 AM, praying (_begging_) and hoping that Sakura would be alright.  
He didn't care how many scars she had as long she survived; because he knew that eventually, those scars would heal with her determination.

Not to mention that he had already decided that he would do whatever it takes to help her.

In this statement, Sasuke then suddenly realized something.

It's not so much that she needed him as much as he needed her. He's always needed her, wanted her without realizing.  
He tried to forget her but his mind refused. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't (_didn't)_ learn to live without her.

However, Sakura, on the other hand was different. She never stopped loving him; but her heart learned to live without his love.

And she was ready, whenever he was, to welcome both of their feelings with open arms.  
She was stronger than him; not physically, but mentally.

And so, in a strange way, they completed each other.

...

"Hey, Sasuke…!" Naruto's sudden call came.

Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Naruto.

"What?" he questioned, with a hint of bewilderment in his tone.

But Naruto didn't reply. Instead, he nodded over at Sakura.  
"You…." He began, but trailed off. The blond ran a hand through his hair, sighing softly.

Kakashi decided to intervene, seeing his former pupil struggling to ask the same question he wanted to.

"You… do know what day it is, right, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, somber.

There was no answer.

Instead, Sasuke stood up from his chair and walked over to Sakura.  
Then, he turned to look at his former master and best friend.

And both Kakashi and Naruto saw a look on Sasuke's face which they had never seen before.

It was a mixture of content, understanding but also hints of sadness. The Uchiha's black eyes said it all.

Kakashi and Naruto couldn't help but smile as they understood what Sasuke meant by that look.

-

-

The war had devastated Konoha but there was always hope to rebuild the shattered lives of its people.

_After all, war doesn't decide who's right.  
_

-

Sasuke slowly leant down and kissed Sakura softly on her forehead, before whispering:

"Happy birthday, Sakura."

_- _

_…War decides who's left._

_-_

-

_2 weeks and 6 days later, with Sasuke's hand tightly clasped around her own, Haruno Sakura awoke with a gasp._

_-_

-

---

_END._

_And there you have it, folks. My first SasuSaku two-shot finished albeit with a rather abrupt ending. Some quotes used from the Internet.  
Reviews will be appreciated, constructive criticism taken into account, and flames will be ignored._

_Thank you._


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